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Thursday, January 29, 2015

3244-PS: Bormann on "ruthless severity" in the Camps

Author: Jonathan Harrison

On October 9, 1942, Bormann sent this circular in response to eyewitness accounts of atrocities, which were reaching German public opinion via letters and verbal communications from soldiers in the East. It is notable for the fact that Bormann connects "ruthless severity" to the camps in the East, which in turn are connected to the atrocities witnessed by soldiers. Consequently, although Bormann uses the standard camouflage, "they will either be used for work or else transported still farther to the East", the overall context is one of killing, in which the fate of Jews in "the camps" is clearly connected to the fate of shooting victims witnessed by military personnel.